Pakistan summons US Ambassador over drone strike

Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday summoned the US ambassador to the foreign ministry and protested over the Saturday drone strike in southwest of the country, that killed Taliban chief Mullaha Akhtar Mansoor.

The US envoy David Hale was called in by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi to express concern over the drone strike on Pakistani territory on Saturday, a statement released by Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.

“Fatemi pointed out that the drone strike was a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and a breach of the United Nation’s Charter that guarantees the inviolability of the territorial integrity of its member states,” said the statement.

The special assistant also emphasized that such actions could adversely impact the ongoing efforts by the Quadrilateral Coordination Group for facilitating peace talks between the Afghan Government and the Taliban.

Talking about the coordination on terrorism between the two countries, Fatemi also underlined that Pakistan and the US had been closely coordinating in the fight against the menace of terrorism and that this cooperation needed to be maintained.

Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was killed in the drone strike on his vehicle in a small town Ahmad Wal in Nushki district of Pakistan’s south-west province of Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan.

US President Barack Obama confirmed the killing.

“We have removed the leader of an organization that has continued to plot against and unleash attacks on American and coalition forces, to wage war against the Afghan people, and align itself with extremist groups like Al Qaeda,” said Obama in a statement.